You didn’t have to have been at Comic-Con, the annual geek-friendly pop-culture convention that ran from July 18 through 21, to have been overwhelmed with all the movie and TV news emerging from San Diego. We weren’t there either, but we’ve done the work of sifting through the glut of liveblogs, trailer posting and reports from the scene—so that you also don’t have to have been there to know what’s going on.

Probably the biggest news from the convention came from Man of Steel director Zack Snyder. Snyder appeared on behalf of Warner Bros. to discuss a sequel to Man of Steel, an untitled movie that will begin production next year and will star Henry Cavill, reprising his role as Superman—but he also let on that Cavill won’t be the only star in the movie. This next Superman movie will also feature Batman, though there’s no news yet on that casting. Snyder said he drew inspiration from the established DC comics universe for the storyline and, by hinting that the inspiration was The Dark Knight Returns, implied that Superman and Batman won’t exactly be working for the same side.

Ever-eager Hunger Games fans got a new glimpse at the upcoming second installment in the series, Catching Fire. Star Jennifer Lawrence was on hand to share stories from the behind the scenes (including a tale of how much snot can be involved in a kissing scene) and the audience got to check out this new trailer:

Meanwhile, at the Doctor Who panel, lucky fans got to take a sneak peek at footage from the upcoming 50th anniversary special, featuring two Doctors at once: Matt Smith and David Tennant. Also, Daleks! But those who were hoping for news about the next actor to take on the role were disappointed—as were at-home fans hoping to get a look at that footage, which audience members were admonished not to leak.

This is one that’s been brewing for a while and will continue to do so at least through the November release of the Ender’s Game movie. In short, the anti-gay opinions of Orson Scott Card, the author of the much-beloved sci-fi saga, have recently been subject to increased scrutiny—the book of Ender’s Game is nearly 30 years old, but a combination of Hollywood’s interest in his work, his scuttled efforts to write a Superman comic story earlier this year and more mainstream visibility for LGBT-rights causes has meant that Card’s personal views are more widely known than ever. In light of his outspokenness against marriage equality, a group for LGBT geeks has called for a boycott of the movie. Producers and studio execs have since tried to distance the movie from the book’s author, pointing out that Ender‘s futuristic themes have nothing to do with gay rights and that Card has been minimally involved in the movie. It remains to be seen how the attention to the story’s genesis will affect the film’s success. But at Comic-Con, the positive response to a producer saying that the filmmakers planned to use the controversy to draw support for LGBT causes indicated that Orson Scott Card’s views are not a success in the geek community.

It’s not just the convention-goers who dress up at Comic-Con. At the Community panel, showrunner Dan Harmon appeared dressed as Iron Man and discussed how the making of this next season of the sitcom will differ from the process used in past years (prior to his being fired as showrunner as well as during the year with which he was not involved), with all 13 episodes completed before 2012 is over. He does not consider this block of episodes to be the show’s last and said this year will feature an animated episode.

Elsewhere, at the Marvel panel, Tom Hiddleston made a surprise appearance dressed as Loki from Thor—and fully in character, too.

5. How I Met Your Mother: yeah, they know the story is moving a little slowly (via Vulture)

Now going into its ninth and final season, How I Met Your Mother has spent much of its nearly decade-long run discussing everything other than its title proposition. This year, however, things will be different: the next season will pick up after last season’s finale, with the girl with the yellow umbrella identified and Barney and Robin’s wedding on the way. The sitcom made its first-ever appearance at Comic-Con to assure fans that the producers knew what they were doing and to tease the eventual answer to all your questions with a self-aware (and slightly NSFW) nod to the frustrations felt by viewers—and by Ted’s kids, the characters who have been stuck listening to his rambling tale all along.

(In other HIMYM-related Comic-Con news, Cobie Smulders, who plays Robin on the show, was confirmed as playing Wonder Woman in The Lego Movie and appearing again as her Avengers character Agent Maria Hill in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV pilot.)